Green houses have not been kind to the environment and care of creation is a Christian value.

Mainline Evangelical who voted for that guy who the fact birth certificate.

You could put me in the "somewhat agree" category, but I could easily be persuaded to "somewhat disagree". The problem as I see it, is this is such a politically charged subject. Given the current political climate, I'm not sure I could ever be convinced of a researchers objectivity, so my opinion is going to drift over time.

Heh, I'll break the ice, and maybe become an object of ridicule in the process.

I am one of those who strongly disagree with the idea that global warming is a major concern, and that it is caused by man.

However, I won't deny that it does seem the Earth has been warming the last several years, but I believe that's just part of the ebb and flow of how God made the earth to work. I DO think man can contribute to this ebb and flow, but not cause it.

I think a look back over history shows times of both warmer climate and colder.

This opinion, does not negate being a good steward of creation. Stopping pollution and actively conserving are still great ideas regardless of the truth of global warming. Just don't shove it down my throat with a government mandate, thanks.

I don't really care.

I see it as a theological issue not a scientific one. God's command is to take care of His Creation. Whether or not global warming is and man-made it doesn't change my responsibility to live and act wisely.

I don't believe in global warming, but I do believe we can take better care of God's creation.

Funny, the way the government deals with the issue is much like churches deal with theirs - start a program and throw tons of money into it, rather than train the people at the heart of the matter.

But even if it is a theological issue, the science is important because you must be informed to make the decisions which do the most good. Just because one small group of scientists and large group of politicians think that certain measures are helpful or necessary, it does not mean that they necessarily are.

The science is what gives you the guidelines for what living wisely looks like.

I agree with Rand. If we believe the earth was created and are willing to fight for that to be in text books, why are we not willing to actually take care of the earth?

I think there is scientific evidence (which should not be a bad term in the Christian world) that points to it. But regardless Christians should have been the original environmentalist.

I agree that global warming could be real, but I disagree that man is causing it. I think the affects of this huge, burning ball that is our total heat source -- the sun -- are completely understated. Many studies show that the sun has cycles of activity and our warming and cooling trends follow the sun's cycle. That's the major factor. Anything we do is negligible. As a believer, I think we should definitely be responsible stewards of our resources, but not base huge, society-altering decisions on that alone.

While the science can inform us, we cannot attempt to stuff science into the biblical text. With that said, creation care becomes a theological issue. Therefore we cannot read biblical indicatives without their implied imperatives. Nor can we isolate biblical imperatives from the totality of the the biblical indicative. We must seek a holistic understanding from a holistic reading of the biblical text. Being fruitful and multiplying is probably the only imperative humanity has kept ;-). However, God did give humanity the earth to "subdue and have dominion over ..." His created order is ours to care for. Unfortunately, we have done a very poor job.

Is global warming real and man made? I do not know. I am not a scientist. But if I can make a smaller footprint by doing simple things like taking shorter showers, recycling, and growing my own food in order to care for what God has given me, then why wouldn't I. Maybe, in the meantime, we can all spend less time blaming Al Gore for the fuss.

I do not believe in man-made global warming. The idea that the very gas I exhale is somehow poisoning the planet is ludicrous to me.

The evidence shows a warming (and now a cooling) but there's nothing that can significantly tie it to man's activities (For example, there is evidence that there was an Ice Age on our planet. And then it warmed up and all melted. Were there SUV's back then that we didn't know about? Or is warming and cooling simply a function of nature?). I think there is an arrogance that says we've figured it all out and know exactly how this planet works. There are so many things we don't understand (like cloud cover) that contribute to warming. And what about the sun? Doesn't the sun contribute to warmth?

From a theological standpoint, this earth is cursed. So how do we differentiate between the curse God place the earth under and how man lives? It's a question I'm not sure anyone can definitely answer.

With all that said, I whole-heartedly believe in conservation of resources. We are to be stewards. But my stewardship is based in my conviction that it is my duty as a child of God. It is not based in some psuedo-religious context where the Earth is god and salvation is through recycling.

I strongly disagree with man caused global warming. First, let's forget about the fact the earth has actually cooled the past few years. The science behind "global warming" (remember the ominous new ice age of the 70's?) is about as solid as Darwin's theory (Al Gore's had to remove information from his "movie" because of it being factually inaccurate). Secondly, if God commanded the earth to warm (or not) by whatever means, man has little power to stop it. Thirdly, even if man is behind global warming, our government has no business telling us what kind of light bulbs to buy! Be blessed and cool! :)

I am wondering why it matters what we think...I mean part of the issue around this is mis-information anyway. Most pastors have so little science background that they will not (even if they made the effort) really understand the science. So people do what they usually do and go with their preconceived notions and ignore the rest.

I want to know where the people live that think man has not participates in global warming. You must live in a great city where everyone walks, recycles, and uses solar energy.

Where I live i see smog, pollution, and power plant. I see the negative thumbprint of mankind all around me.

Oddly, 16 minutes prior to Ed's post, Treehugger posted an article on Protestant Evangelicals being split on this same issue, based on a poll from the Pew Forum: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/is-global-warming-happening-or-not-white-evangelical-christians-split.php

You can put me in the "somewhat disagree" category, because I am split on the issue of man causing it. It is naiive to attempt to point to a single cause as the cause of a global crisis, as it will be a blend of both natural and anthropogenic causes. (I've seen some reports that state that the toots from termites produce three times more methane than all the man-made gases combined!)

That being said, I think the primary issue isn't a temperature problem, it's an problem with waste and efficiency. People who drive to a church that is a half mile away or leave lights on when they are not home are not being good stewards of the resources that God has given them, and they also are polluting the pristine nature of earth that God declared "good" at creation.

@Todd Chafin

Global warming isn't a really good name for the climate condition. Global instability would be a better term.

What is being called 'global warming' is really certain parts of the globe getting warmer, and certain parts of the globe getting colder.

Regardless of it being man made, the term 'global warming' is really a poor one, because I hear few people actually argue that the globe is, as a whole, getting warmer.

Why is LifeWay even asking pastors about global warming? I have the next poll for you: Pastors who have degrees and knowledge in environmental issues. Probably zero?

"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." (Gen 8:22)

I would be in the "somewhat agree" category. Since the fall of man, creation has been groaning looking forward to the coming of Christ, and I think that is part of the ecological issue. I also think that our insatiable desire to have what we want when we want it because we "deserve" it has a great deal to do with it. So, in essence, our sinful desires of pride and treason against God are influencers to the ecological issue...whether it's real or not.

I believe the earth is warming, but I'm extremely skeptical about man's role.

It is indeed politically charged.

I think very few Christians have a problem with COMMON SENSE steps to reduce pollution. But what I see is not common sense when it comes to extreme environmentalists.

Wow! What a cool study! And I am amazed, but not really surprised at some of the trends in the data.

Regarding my thoughts...
I just don't know. I don't know if we have enough conclusive data to make a call on that either way. However, I do believe that we are to be good stewards and to care for the earth. So even if global warming (casused by man) is not happening at all, then I still think that we should be listening to the intent of what those that believe it is are saying.... that we need to clean up our act and take care of the earth.

Just my two cents...

There is a problem with the question: It is really two questions---Is global warming real?;Is global warming caused by human activity?.

It is a scientific question with theological implications. The science on the first question is limited by our climatological data. Isn't it interesting that pastors reflecting the cultural collective knowledge of the Midwest, those most likely to be tied to farming and agriculture, are the least likely to agree?

What both science and theology have in common is verisimilitude. That is, neither can say with absolute certainty anything. They can both postulate. Through the centuries, the postulations of both change, markedly.

Peter wrote:
>> Why is LifeWay even asking pastors about global warming?

Since we are a research organization, we decided to ask pastors (one of our primary audiences) what they think about a widely discussed topic.

Crazy idea, I know. ;-)

Dennis, we are comfortable with the question. We wanted to know if they thought both "real" and "man made," not just one of the two.

Breaking it down would be interesting and also a good question, but not get at what we were asking. If they thought it was "real" but not "man made" they would just say, "No."

Thanks,

Ed

I don't believe it's real, but I could use a little bit of it after this winter.

BTW--as the evidence stacks up against the "fact" of global warming, notice that descriptor is being used less and less. The new descriptor is "global climate change." That way world governments can continue to generate controlling policies in the face of mounting global cooling evidence.

Humans are called to exercise dominion over God's creation. The consequences of refusing to exercise that dominion wisely is that it will have dominion over us.

Hi every body Greetings from Living word temple ministries Uganda Africa This is the last hour and the Church leaders should be very carefull.
We the peope from Africa we are praying for what is going on in the World Church let us watch out.

I’m shocked and disappointed by the responses here. Why is it that we refuse to accept scientific data and then choose instead to listen to radio personalities who have no scientific expertise at all but try and convince us that it is all a liberal/government plot or something?

If we actually believe God made this world, cares for it, and placed us in it to care for it (as in Gen 1 and 2) then we should care about climate change and the negative effect we are having through our irresponsible actions.

No wonder so many people have a hard time taking the things we say seriously…

I know I have read many articles that are convincing on both the pro and con side of this debate. I know that people take passionate positions on both sides of the debate. I know that we (corporately) do make short term decisions that have a negative impact on the environment (because in our collective opinion doing things the right way is cost prohibitive). I know that people seeking advanced degrees are required to write long thought-out papers that point out new lines of thought. I know that educators with those advanced degrees are required to publish more documents / books / articles to acquire tenure or to advance. I know that no matter what we do to reduce carbon dioxide levels, that one day the sun will be dark, and the moon will not shine, and the stars will fall, and Christ will return. I wonder if He will say "why did you spend so much time worrying and arguing with my people about things that are not of the kingdom of Heaven?" I know that God created a world that will sustain His chosen people until His coming again (in His own time). A more interesting statistic (for me at least) would be: What percentage of scientists that devote their lives to studying ongoing changes in climatology (the EXPERTS in whom we should have faith in their opinions), believe that the world they study was created by God?

@mason - I couldn't agree more. People above have used arguments like "there have been ice ages so the Earth's climate is naturally unstable so it's not man's fault." Ahhh!!!! The climate's natural sensitivity is the very reason why we should be careful how we steward it. Likewise, people saying "if God commanded the earth to warm (or not) by whatever means, man has little power to stop it." is crazily irresponsible. God's sovereignty (which I very much believe in) does not excuse us from responsibility for our actions! And who says that God has commanded that the Earth should warm (or cool, because it's climate change rather than global warming which is the real issue) indefinitely?! Maybe He has commanded that it should be halted, and that our positive choices should be the means.

I'm afraid that in the US the issue is so politically charged, that many people seem to be looking everywhere but the legitimate, coherent science which have hypothesised these effects of both warming and cooling, and then seen confirmation.

I'm pretty sure that no other country in the world would see results anywhere near as closely balanced as this survey.